Tag: Windows 10

Microsoft released a major update for Windows 10 in October 2017. The update is referred to as the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update. The version number is 1709. The update includes some security improvements and feature enhancements.

A recent Windows update causes iTunes to not recognize any connected iPhone, iPad, or iPod. Although iTunes doesn’t see the iOS device, Windows will acknowledge that it’s been plugged in (with the sound alert for connected devices). Windows Explorer also shows the iOS device listed, and the DCIM folder with pictures is viewable. This may also be a problem with Windows 7 and Windows 8.

Fix for Windows iTunes not Identifying iPhone or iPad

The fix for this problem is quite simple. Follow these instructions:

Administrator. Make sure you’re logged into your computer as an Administrator. The username you usually login with may be an administrator account, but if it isn’t, you’ll need to login using a different account such as a Maintenance account.

Device Manager. Once logged in, go to the Device Manager by right clicking on your Computer icon and choosing Properties. Then click on Device Manager. Or, instead, you can get to Device Manager by going to Control Panel > System and Security > System > Device Manager.

iPhone Drivers. From the list of devices, click on Portable Devices. You’ll see Apple iPhone listed. Right click and then from the pop-up menu click on Update Driver Software.

Browse Computer. The driver currently being used for the iPhone (by default) is a Microsoft driver that prevents iTunes from accessing the iPhone. So, you’ll need to browse your computer for the correct iTunes compatible driver. Click on the option to “Browse my computer for driver software.”

Select Apple Drivers Folder. In the browse window, click on the Browse button and then navigate to the Apple Drivers folder found in the following location:
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Apple\Mobile Device Support\Drivers

Finish. Click the Next button to finish the driver installation update process.

Screen Shots

The images below show the above process. Click any image for a larger gallery view.

A: I’ve recently heard from customers of mine, who are self-described as technically challenged, yet were able to upgrade their older computers to Windows 10 with ease. I’ve been really impressed with how easy it’s been for most people to perform the upgrade, and equally impressed that Windows 10 is able to run well on older computers. Below are the full details of what Windows 10 requires to run.

Aside from a few easy to correct bugs for some people, the transition to Windows 10 has gone smoothly. I’ve written some articles on Windows 10 topics for those wanting more information.

Here are the primary Microsoft pages you’ll want to reference for a Windows 10 upgrade:

Download Windows 10 — For existing Windows customers. This page guides you through the upgrade process.

Download Windows 10 Disc Image (ISO File) — For those needing the installation media. This is the page that those on Apple computers will be redirected to automatically.

The challenges people might encounter aren’t necessarily hardware limitations. Instead, challenges arise when trying to use older software or older hardware (such as printers or scanners). There can also be problems for anyone with a computer that’s infected with a virus or having trouble starting for other reasons.

Yet, there are also the surprising stories of computers that were having trouble starting or running, and installing Windows 10 fixed those problems.

The basic hardware requirements for Windows 10 are very impressive. They are the same requirements as Windows 7 which was released in 2009. So, presumably, just about anyone with a 5-year-old computer running Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows 8, or Windows 8.1 can run Windows 10. It’s a single operating system upgrade that spans over 6 years and four OS releases. That’s millions of computers.

The basic requirements for Windows 10 are 1GB RAM, 1GHz processor, and 16 GB of disk space. More details are below. Obviously, as with any system requirements, you’ll want to have something that’s above and beyond the basic requirements. These days, there are many computers with 4GB RAM and processors at 1.8 GHz or higher that can be purchased for about $100 used. That would more than meet the requirement for Widows 10.

Below are details from Microsoft’s website about Windows 10 requirements.

Table of Contents

System requirements

If you want to upgrade to Windows 10 on your PC or tablet, here’s the minimum hardware you’ll need. Read further below to learn about the additional factors that impact upgradeability. For more information about the free upgrade offer1, please visit the Windows 10 Upgrade page for details.

Latest OS: Make sure you are running the latest version of either Windows 7 SP1 or Windows 8.1 Update.Don’t know which version you are running? Check here to find out. Need to download the latest version? Click here forWindows 7 SP1 or Windows 8.1 Update.

Processor:1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster processor or SoC

RAM:

1 gigabyte (GB) for 32-bit or 2 GB for 64-bit

Hard disk space:16 GB for 32-bit OS 20 GB for 64-bit OS

Graphics card:DirectX 9 or later with WDDM 1.0 driver

Display:800×600

Important notes:

Windows 10 Home users will receive updates from Windows Update automatically when it’s available. Windows 10 Pro and Windows 10 Enterprise users will have the ability to postpone updates. The amount of time that Windows 10 Pro users can postpone updates is limited.

Small storage devices, like devices with 32GB hard drives or older devices with full hard drives, may need additional storage to complete the upgrade. You’ll see instructions during the upgrade telling you what to do. You may need to either remove unneeded files from your device, or insert a USB flash drive to complete the upgrade.

Some devices with either little free space available or smaller hard drives, like 32 GB storage PCs, may have little free space available after upgrading. You may free up disk space and easily delete files like temporary files or your previous version of Windows within the Storage system setting. Files for the previous version of Windows give you the option to remove Windows 10 and go back to your previous version of Windows. These files are automatically deleted a month after you upgrade. To free up space, you can delete them now.

An internet connection is required to perform the upgrade. Windows 10 is a large file — about 3 GB — and Internet access (ISP) fees might apply.

To check for device compatibility and other important installation information, visit your device manufacturer’s website. Manufacturer contact information can be found on the Contact Information page.

The upgradeability of a device includes factors beyond the system specification. This includes driver and firmware support, application compatibility, and feature support, regardless of whether or not the device meets the minimum system specification for Windows 10.

If your PC or tablet is currently running Windows 7 SP1 or Windows 8.1 Update, you can check to see if it meets the requirements by using ‘Check my PC’ in the Get Windows 10 app. To open the Get Windows 10 app, click on the small Windows icon found at the right end of the taskbar. If you don’t see it, visit our Windows 10 Q&A page for more info.

Many applications, files, and settings will migrate as part of the upgrade. However, some applications or settings may not migrate.

For anti-malware applications, Windows will check to see if your anti-malware subscription is current (not expired) and compatible during the upgrade.

If the anti-malware application is compatible and current, your application will be preserved during the upgrade to Windows 10.

If the anti-malware application is incompatible, Windows will uninstall your application while preserving your settings. After upgrade is complete, if your anti-malware provider has informed Microsoft that it has made a compatible version available for your active subscription, Windows will notify you to install the latest version available with the settings that were set prior to upgrade.

If your anti-malware subscription is not current (expired), Windows will uninstall your application and enable Windows Defender.

Some applications that came from your OEM may be removed prior to upgrade.

For certain third party applications, the “Get Windows 10” app will scan for application compatibility. If there is a known issue that will prevent the upgrade, you will be notified of the list of applications with known issues. You can choose to accept and the applications will be removed from the system prior to upgrade. Please be sure to copy the list before you accept the removal of the application.

Microsoft Family Safety child users with local accounts (accounts tied to the machine) will not have their safety settings migrated to Windows 10 during the upgrade. This means that after the upgrade to Windows 10 is complete, parents would need to setup safety settings for the child user along with a Microsoft account if they do not have one. To find out more about the changes, visit the FAQ page.

Feature deprecation

If you have Windows 7 Home Premium, Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Ultimate, Windows 8 Pro with Media Center, or Windows 8.1 Pro with Media Center and you install Windows 10, Windows Media Center will be removed. For a limited time (the “eligible period”), on systems upgraded to Windows 10 from one of these older versions of Windows (a “qualified system”), a DVD playback app (“Windows DVD Player”) will be installed. Note: the Windows DVD Player may not be installed immediately; it will be installed after the first successful Windows Update. The Windows DVD Player will be available for purchase from the Window Store for systems that (i) are qualified systems but the eligible period lapsed; (ii) are non-qualified systems; or (iii) were qualified systems but Windows 10 was subsequently clean installed (in this case, Windows Update cannot detect that it was previously a qualified system).

MDM functionality will not be available in Windows 10 Home edition when Windows 10 is released.

Windows 7 desktop gadgets will be removed as part of installing Windows 10.

Solitaire, Minesweeper, and Hearts Games that come pre-installed on Windows 7 will be removed as part of installing the Windows 10 upgrade. Microsoft has released our version of Solitaire and Minesweeper called the “Microsoft Solitaire Collection” and “Microsoft Minesweeper.”

If you have a floppy drive, you will need to download the latest driver from Windows Update or from the manufacturer’s website.

If you have Windows Live Essentials installed on your system, the OneDrive application is removed and replaced with the inbox version of OneDrive.

OneDrive does not support placeholder files in Windows 10. Windows 8.1 displayed placeholders for files available in OneDrive but not locally on the device. In Windows 10, users can choose which folders to sync from OneDrive settings.

Snap is limited to 2 apps in Tablet Mode.

Additional requirements to use certain features

Cortana is only currently available on Windows 10 for the United States, United Kingdom, China, France, Italy, Germany, and Spain.

Speech recognition will vary by device microphone. For a better speech experience, you will need a:

High fidelity microphone array

Hardware driver with microphone array geometry exposed

Windows Hello requires specialized illuminated infrared camera for facial recognition or iris detection, or a finger print reader which supports the Window Biometric Framework. Windows Hello with an Intel® RealSense™ (F200) camera requires a software update to work on Windows 8.1 devices after upgrading to Windows 10. This update is expected to be available soon.

Continuum is available on all Windows 10 desktop editions by manually turning “tablet mode” on and off through the Action Center. Tablets and 2-in-1s with GPIO indicators or those that have a laptop and slate indicator will be able to be configured to enter “tablet mode” automatically.

Continuum for phones limited to select premium phones at launch. External monitor must support HDMI input. Continuum-compatible accessories sold separately. App availability and experience varies by device and market. Office 365 subscription required for some features.

Music and video streaming through the Music or Movies & TV apps is not available in all regions. For the most up-to-date list of regions, please go to Xbox on Windows website.

Some IT administrators may enable Secure Logon (Ctrl + Alt + Del) before bringing you to the log in screen. On tablets without a keyboard, a tablet with the Windows button may be required, as the key combination on a tablet is Windows button + Power button.

Some games and programs might require a graphics card compatible with DirectX 10 or higher for optimal performance.

Yes, free! This upgrade offer is for a full version of Windows 10, not a trial. 3GB download required; internet access fees may apply. To take advantage of this free offer, you must upgrade to Windows 10 within one year of availability. Once you upgrade, you have Windows 10 for free on that device.

Windows 10 Upgrade Offer is valid for qualified and genuine Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 devices, including devices you already own. Some hardware/software requirements apply and feature availability may vary by device and market. The availability of Windows 10 upgrade for Windows Phone 8.1 devices may vary by OEM, mobile operator or carrier. Features vary by device. Devices must be connected to the internet and have Windows Update enabled. Windows 7 SP1 and Windows 8.1 Update required. Some editions are excluded: Windows 7 Enterprise, Windows 8/8.1 Enterprise, and Windows RT/RT 8.1. Active Software Assurance customers in volume licensing have the benefit to upgrade to Windows 10 Enterprise offerings outside of this offer. To check for compatibility and other important installation information, visit your device manufacturer’s website and the Windows 10 Specifications page.

Windows 10 is automatically updated. Additional requirements may apply over time for updates. See the Windows 10 Upgrade page for details.

2 Must be running the latest version of Windows 7 (Service Pack 1) to receive the free upgrade to Windows 10 via Windows Update.

3 Must be running the latest version of Windows 8 (Windows 8.1 Update) to receive the free upgrade to Windows 10 via Windows Update.

5 The availability of Windows 10 upgrade for Windows Phone 8.1 devices may vary by OEM, mobile operator or carrier.

6 A metered Internet connection is when a service provider charges by the amount of data sent and received by your PC. Windows 10 is a large file: about 3 GB. Before you start the download on a metered Internet connection, be sure to:

Check your current usage, and then figure out if this download might result in additional charges.

Allow enough time for the download to finish. Most people with a broadband Internet connection complete the download in an hour or two, but download times will vary based on your connection speed and other factors.

Like this:

If you’ve recently uploaded to Windows 10, you may need some help finding your way around. The instructions below show how to find and run the TeamViewer program assuming it’s already installed.

The example given in these three steps is the browsing/exploring method. Alternatively you could use the searching method by clicking the start menu icon and then typing the name of what you’re looking for.

Like this:

If you’ve recently upgraded to Windows 10, at the login screen, under the listing of user account usernames, you may see some key symbol icons with the word Password to the right of them as shown below.

Presumably this is for those who would like to use a USB key that contains a password keychain. Like a key to your car, a USB drive that contains a long password key can give you access to a computer that’s configured to work with such devices.

However, if you’ve recently created a new user account, but not yet logged in using that new user account, clicking on one of those key icons will results in an error message stating “HRESULT 0x8007ffff.”

Fixing the Problem

You must use the normal login first by clicking on the username and entering the password. Windows will perform the initial account setup. Then logout, and then you should be able to click on the key symbol icon and use that login method.

What’s a bit confusing about this situation is that there’s no way to tell the different key icons apart. They are each associated with a user account, but you won’t know which one until you click on them.

Below are screen shots of this phenomenon.

Windows 10 Login Screen

The top user account name is obscured for privacy. Click the image for a larger view.

Like this:

For decades, Windows has had the familiar My Computer icon on the desktop as a way to easily get to the hard drive, and with a right-click get access to more options.

With Windows 10, the My Computer icon is absent by default. This is presumably to keep users from accidentally accessing system files and causing problems on their computer. When enabled, the icon is called This PC.

To get the My Computer icon back, follow these steps.

Right click anywhere in the desktop area to view a context sensitive pop-up menu (as shown below) and click on Personalize.

Like this:

Here are some points to keep in mind when considering an upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 10.

Backup Before and After

The free upgrade offer for Windows 10 is only available for one year — presumably through 28 July 2016. If your upgraded computer crashes after that date, you’ll need to purchase Windows 10 to get it up and going again. In other words, it won’t upgrade to Windows 10 for free if you restore your computer to its ‘like new’ Windows 7 state. For this reason, it’s a good idea to create an image backup of your computer before and after the Windows 10 upgrade. This is something you’d want anyway, and with Windows 10 it ensures you can restore your computer to a clean Windows 10 installation.

Buy Used – Get Like New

Now is a good time to buy refurbished computers with Windows 7 installed. As long as the Windows 7 to Windows 10 free upgrade offer is in effect, it will be possible to purchase a Windows 7 computer at a significant discount and get it upgraded for free to Windows 10. If you decide to do this, you’ll want to make an image backup of your computer when it’s fresh from the store. This is just in case you decide to return to Windows 7. Then, once you’re done upgrading to Windows 10, make another image backup so you can always go back to the like-new Windows 10 installation. It’s best not to use the computer much or at all when you first purchase it. Instead, do the backups and perform all the essential updates and software installations first. This is explained in the Windows computer setup checklist.

Wait Times May Vary

Depending on your computer, there may be a wait time before Windows 10 becomes available. Then, you’ll need to wait while it downloads. Once it’s downloaded, you can begin the installation. Because there are millions of people at any one moment who all want their free copy of Windows 10, it may take a while for the availability and/or download of the software.

Like this:

There are five Goodwill Reboot stores in the nation. Iowa City is fortunate to be home to one of these authorized computer refurbishing centers. We also have some other good sources of refurbished computers such as Midwest Computer Brokers.

Your device is managed as part of a school or business network. (Check with your IT administrator.)

PCs that we determine cannot run Windows 10 will not see the Get Windows 10 app before July 29th. After July 29th, we’ll enable the icon in the system tray. This is to help ensure that you can easily check your PC’s compatibility if you choose.

Like this:

Summary

Windows 10 is scheduled to be released on 29 July 2015. In the past, major upgrades of Windows were complicated to choose from and expensive to purchase. Starting with Windows 10, Microsoft is making it easier to upgrade.

Windows 10 Upgrade Icon

Microsoft has begun placing a Windows 10 upgrade icon in the task bar system tray of Windows 7 computers. You can see it in the image below on the left.

When this icon appears on your computer it means that you qualify for a free upgrade to Windows 10, which will be pushed out as an update later this summer.

Reserving Windows 10

To reserve your copy of Windows 10, click the icon and follow the instructions as shown in these screen shots. Click an image for a larger gallery view.

Confirmation Email

Your free upgrade will be available from July 29th, and now that you’ve reserved it, you won’t miss a minute of Windows 10 helping you do great things.

Because you’ve reserved, Windows will automatically take care of the download in advance. Then you’ll get a notification when your upgrade is ready to install. That way you can start using Windows 10 immediately – or schedule a time to install that’s convenient for you. If you have any more questions, check out the upgrade FAQ.

What’s in the “Get Windows 10” app?

You’ve just reserved your free upgrade using the “Get Windows 10” app. You can also use the app to confirm the reservation, check to see if your device is compatible with Windows 10, and un-reserve if you wish to cancel your reservation prior to your Windows 10 upgrade. If you want to return to the app, just click the Windows logo in the taskbar.

Windows 10 is full of great features

In addition to features you may have heard about such as Cortana* and Microsoft Edge, our new web browser, Windows 10 contains lots of other exciting tools to help you do great things. [More…]

Windows is for people who do

Windows is about helping people do great things, so we created a series of videos to show the innovative ways individuals use Windows to realize their potential. These include Mikaila, a young girl working to save the bees, and Kyle, who creates motion capture animations. Doing is part of their DNA, and Windows gives them the tools they need to follow their passion.

More ways to keep up with Windows 10

Want to get periodic emails about Windows 10? If you checked the box to receive emails when you reserved your free upgrade, you’re already signed up. If not, sign up here. You can also keep up with all things Windows 10 on our Social channels, as well as the Windows Blog.

Here’s the humorous legal disclaimer at the end of the confirmation email:

Our lawyers made us say this: Windows 10 Upgrade Offer is valid for qualified Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 devices, including devices you already own. Some hardware/software requirements apply and feature availability may vary by device and market. The availability of Windows 10 upgrade for Windows Phone 8.1 devices may vary by OEM, mobile operator or carrier. Devices must be connected to the internet and have Windows Update enabled. Windows 7 SP1 and Windows 8.1 Update required. Some editions are excluded: Windows 7 Enterprise, Windows 8/8.1 Enterprise, and Windows RT/RT 8.1. Active Software Assurance customers in volume licensing have the benefit to upgrade to Windows 10 enterprise offerings outside of this offer. To check for compatibility and other important installation information, visit your device manufacturer’s website and the Windows 10 Specifications page. Additional requirements may apply over time for updates. Security and features are kept automatically up-to-date which is always enabled.

Windows 10 Video Highlights Reel

Here’s a quick overview of Windows 10.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3ZLphVaxkg]

Windows 10 Preview with Joe Belfiore

This preview video with Joe Belfiore covers more features of Windows 10.

Virtual Computing

And to make your life easier, you may want to consider setting up a virtual computing environment for your new Windows 10 installation. This will allow you to test it out and not interfere with your own computing. To learn more about virtual computing, simply search on the terms Virtual PC or VMWare and find the right solution for your computer. Oracle offers a free virtual computing software alternative called VirtualBox.